Partnership
Summit
Global investors can approach states direct
Gurgaon, January 18
The Partnership Summit-2008, which concluded here today, gave a signal to the international investor that they do not have to look towards the Centre for investing in India but could directly approach to the state governments for setting up their ventures.

Cops go slow on nabbing main accused
Panipat, January 18
Satisfied with getting hold of a few small fry, the Panipat police seem to have adopted a “go-slow” attitude when it comes to nab the main accused named in an inter-state liquor smuggling case.

BPL list to be finalised by Jan 31
Jind, January 18
The district administration has been working overtime to finalise the list of the BPL families, which is likely to be made final by January 31.

Talent ‘crunch’ in ITES industry
Gurgaon, January 18
India is emerging as an IT hub in the international market but at the same time ITES industry in the country is facing a talent crunch. India has only 10-12 per cent of employable graduates, compared to global average of 50-60 per cent.

‘Transfer cases against Sacha Sauda chief’
Chandigarh, January 18
The family of Ramchander Chhatarpati, the slain journalist of Sirsa, has demanded that the criminal cases against the Sacha Sauda chief should be transferred to either Delhi or some southern state.

‘Trespassers’ granted bail
Panipat, January 18
The Kurukshetra jail incident, where the Prisons’ Department sleuths found four “trespassers”, including a jail staffer, from the jail campus during a raid on Thursday, reflects how the jail staff was making mockery of the law.

Artistes from Sri Lanka perform at a cultural show during the Partnership Summit in Gurgaon on Thursday night. — PTI

Invest in social sector, entrepreneurs told
Gurgaon, January 18
Private sector should make liberal investment in the social sector as it would indirectly benefit them. Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda said this while speaking at the plenary- ‘Charting growth: Making it inclusive’ at the concluding day of the Partnership Summit-2008 at Gurgaon today.

Cops search for culprits
Yamunanagar, January 18
The shooting of an 18-month-old female panther in the Kalesar jungles here yesterday has brought another aspect of hunting to light. People living near the jungles have been hunting wild pigs and, at times, sambar.

Demand of Rs 1.16 cr for nutrition scheme
Fatehabad, January 18
Project officer Asha Setia, Integrated Child Development Scheme, today submitted a demand of Rs 1.16 crore to the additional deputy commissioner for the months of January to March for implementation of the supplementary nutrition scheme for children, adolescent girls and mother in the district.

Traders put up shutters in protest
Bhiwani, January 18
Expressing resentment over the raids conducted at Charkhi Dadri town by administrative officers following complaints of the sale of spurious ghee, traders have sought the transfer of the subdivisional magistrate and withdrawal of the cases registered against the traders concerned.

A long queue in front of an LPG agency in Hisar on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Survey to stop funds for bogus self-help groups
Fatehabad, January 18
The district authorities have begun a survey to find the authenticity of around 500 self-help groups (SHGs) registered in the district under the Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna
(SJGSY) run by the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA).

Plea to commute death sentence
Chandigarh, January 18
In a petition filed in public interest, a high court advocate-cum-human rights activist Navkiran Singh has sought directions to convert into life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to 11 accused currently lodged in Haryana jails.

Abducted girls recovered
Rewari, January 18
Two teenaged girls, Prem Lata (17) and her sister Jyoti (15), who were allegedly kidnapped on January 13 from Suthani village, 8 km from here, have been recovered from their alleged abductors, Ishaq and
Shahbul, both residents of Dinajpur district of West Bengal.

Records: HPSC plea to HC
Chandigarh, January 18
In an application filed before the high court, the Haryana Public Service Commission on Friday sought modification of the high court order, directing the inspection of HCS selection record.

Timber merchant booked
Yamunanagar, January 18
The police has booked Vinod Garg, a timber merchant, in whose compound three children had accidentally consumed phenyl, for causing death due to negligence. Two children of Deha Basti in Jagadhri had died while condition of the third child, Abhishek, was serious.

Bail petition rejected
Gurgaon, January 18
The district and session court has rejected bail petition of Vishal and Rakesh (not their real names) today.

Rapid response teams formed
Rewari, January 18
Following precautionary directions issued by Dr. K.S. Dangi, director-general, State Animal Husbandry Department, in wake of an outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal, as a many as 11 rapid response teams, comprising of veterinary surgeons and veterinary livestock development assistants have been constituted to collect samples of serum from the 84-odd poultry farms of the district.

Gurgaon, January 18
The Partnership Summit-2008, which concluded here today, gave a signal to the international investor that they do not have to look towards the Centre for investing in India but could directly approach to the state governments for setting up their ventures.

Beside this, the summit also raised issues related to investors and socio-economic development of various countries of South Asia. The summit took notice of the challenges being faced by the continent, including inequality, infrastructure, educational opportunities, environment and energy.

Announcement of setting of a convention center by the Chief Minister and release of Rs 15 crore by the union minister of commerce and industry impressed the domestic and international investors, who believe that the government was speeding up its policy formulation and adopting transparency in its implementation.

While interacting with media, Deep Kapuria, chairman CII (northern region) and CMD, Hi-Tech Gears, said this forum has been able to discuss issues of multilateral trade keeping in view the perspective of the developing countries and less developed countries, which are fast becoming centers of low cost manufacturing.

Rajiv Arora, chairman, Haryana Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, said by hosting the summit, the state had not only got a platform to present the picture of opportunity available here for investment but also got feedback to work out for better investment.

Analjit Singh, co-chairman, Summit Partnership-2008, said in the summit not only big entrepreneurs but also the SME got a platform to know about the various opportunities at domestic and international market.

Sunil Kant Munjal, former president, CII; co-chairman of the summit; and chairman, Hero Corporate Services, said India and Singapore is going to start a strategic dialogue to facilitate more business between two countries. CII is organising ‘India @ 60' in Sinagapore this year. He also informed that India alongwith Indonesia and Australia, separately, is planning to set up joint study groups to study the possibility of free trade agreement.

Panipat, January 18
Satisfied with getting hold of a few small fry, the Panipat police seem to have adopted a “go-slow” attitude when it comes to nab the main accused named in an inter-state liquor smuggling case.

Even after identifying certain liquor mafia members operating from Haryana and Chandigarh, who are allegedly involved in smuggling of liquor to the dry state of Gujarat, the district police has admittedly not initiated any raids to arrest them.

The local police had identified three accused, Hem of Chandigarh and Amrik Singh and Aman, the father-son duo from Pehowa in Kurukshetra.

Their names had cropped up during the investigations when the local police intercepted a truck loaded with about 900 cases (9,000 bottles) of IMFL and beer near Baburpur village on the GT Road on January 14.

The illegal consignment was being ferried on the pretext of transporting rice on fake papers, sources said. Sources said the truck was loaded in Chandigarh with four premium brands of IMFL and about 125 cases of beer.

The liquor seizure is stated to be the biggest in the recent years on the GT Road districts.

Though, Devi Lal and Nishan Singh, the driver and his helper, were arrested by the police, but no efforts had been made to arrest the main accused.

Panipat district police chief M. S. Sehrawat confirmed that no raids had not been conducted to find the accused named in the FIR.

However, police sources claimed the liquor mafia operating from Haryana and Chandigarh was quite active on the GT Road. Gujarat is considered as a high-profit zone for the liquor mafia, said an
official.

Owing to the alleged nexus between the liquor mafia and other influential persons, the cartel was smuggling liquor without any obstruction. Drivers of such vehicles are changed every time they entered in the new state en route to Gujarat, added another
official.

Jind, January 18
The district administration has been working overtime to finalise the list of the BPL families, which is likely to be made final by January 31.

The authorities have been in process to review and scrutinise the fresh applications regarding the claims and objections received between December 22 and January 1 by the local administration.

Applications of around 18,000 families out of total 66,339 applicants have been accepted. However, there is no ‘kutcha’ house in the district, which has been one of the main considerations for inclusion in the list.

The criteria for including a family in the BPL list include the status of the applicant family regarding the land ownership, the condition of the house or the residence, ownership of the valuables and household items, including colour TV, fridge, LPG connection, washing machine, phone connection (landline or mobile), two wheeler or four wheeler automobile, tubewell, education level of the family and the source of livelihood.

The last list prepared by the authorities had been disclosed
to the public in the meeting of the Gram Sabha held on December 19 and the applicants were given a month’s time to put up
claims and objections if any by January 19.

About 1,100 claims have been received by the department on which the scrutiny work by the district-level appellate body had been on and the final list was likely to be out by end of this month, stated additional deputy commissioner Hardeep Singh.

Gurgaon, January 18
India is emerging as an IT hub in the international market but at the same time ITES industry in the country is facing a talent crunch. India has only 10-12 per cent of employable graduates, compared to global average of 50-60 per cent.

This was revealed by V.S Kundu, director, IT, Haryana, and managing director, Hartron, while speaking at the session on ‘ITES sector: The challenges ahead’ at the
Partnership Summit-2008 here today.

Kunda mentioned two major challenges being faced by the IT industry in the coming time included lack of proper infrastructure and availability of skilled human resources. Stressing on the issue of inclusion of human resources in the growth of industry, he urged that it should find new ways to impart training to novice employees so that they can deliver immediately on joining the industry.

Pramod Bhasin, president and CEO, Genpact, expressed concern at the prevailing system and lack of talent.

“This can be addressed if we develop unique skills set, global standards and a truly global workforce,”
he said.

Ranjit Narasimhan, president and CEO, HCL Technologies, mentioned that India's growth would
be propelled by the IT industry.

He emphasised the need for improving quality of education, so that the workforce can meet 30 per cent growth level.

R. Srinivasan, principal consultant and head (pre-sales), TCS, stated that there was a need for engagement of corporate and academia to assure that the current pace of growth in the ITES sector continues.

Addressing the problem of high attrition rate, he said incentives should be given to employees to make them stay longer.

Chandigarh, January 18
The family of Ramchander Chhatarpati, the slain journalist of Sirsa, has demanded that the criminal cases against the Sacha Sauda chief should be transferred to either Delhi or some southern state.

The Baba is an accused in the murder case of Chhatarpati.

Chhatarpati’s son Anshul alleged here yesterday that the CBI, which had challaned the Baba in murder and rape cases, was not serious in prosecuting him and taking the case to its logical conclusion.

He said it was strange that though the CBI claimed, while opposing the bail application of the Baba before an Ambala court, that its witnesses were being threatened, the agency had not moved the High Court for the cancellation of the bail.

Anshul also expressed the surprise how a person accused of having committed murders and rapes, could be provided Z-plus security by the government. He said the government was spending Rs 2.83 lakh per month on the Baba’s security. This expenditure was being borne by the Sirsa district police. He said the state police under the RTI Act provided this information to him.

However, Anshul said the state police had not given him the entire information sought by him. Even the state chief secretary had not responded to his application filed under the RTI Act. He had now moved the State Information Commission against the chief secretary.

Panipat, January 18
The Kurukshetra jail incident, where the Prisons’ Department sleuths found four “trespassers”, including a jail staffer, from the jail campus during a raid on Thursday, reflects how the jail staff was making mockery of the law. They were readily offering various “facilities” to the prisoners and their guests.

A case has been registered against deputy jail superintendent Ratan Singh, head warden and jail tubewell operator. The sleuths had also recovered four mobile phones from tubewell operator Janak Raj, who was present in the jail premises without permission. The department doubted the role of certain jail officials for working as the facilitators to jail inmates.

Satbir, Jagir and Balraj were other three “trespassers” and were handed over to the police. Their motive is not known as yet as police officials remain tightlipped about the investigations.

Kurukshetra SP Amitabh Dhillon did not respond to repeated phone calls while ASP Mahinder Parashar and SHO (city) Surinder showed their ignorance over the matter.

Sources said the “trespassers” were given free access to the jail allegedly by certain officials as their names were not entered in the visitors' register. However, all accused, except Ratan Singh who was not arrested till the filing of the report, were granted bail today by a local court.

IGP (prisons) M.S. Mann said the jail tubewell operator was not allowed to enter the prison campus. The operator failed to give a satisfactory reply about the ownerships of mobile phones, he said. Checking of the mobile phones showed that several calls were made to the family members of the criminals.

Gurgaon, January 18
Private sector should make liberal investment in the social sector as it would indirectly benefit them. Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda said this while speaking at the plenary- ‘Charting growth: Making it inclusive’ at the concluding day of the Partnership Summit-2008 at Gurgaon today.

Hooda said Haryana, primarily an agrarian state, was now transforming into a manufacture and services driven state. It has millions of unemployed persons and they need to be skilled so as to fill the gap between demand and supply of manpower. If the entrepreneur of corporate world comes forward in improving skills of the rural youth, only then the growth process would become more inclusive.

He was of the view that two important issues that needed to be addressed immediately are improving access to education and reducing the number of people dependent on agriculture by making them skilled for the services and manufacturing sectors.

Highlighting the need for improving standards of education, Hooda said India had about 5,000 ITIs and 7,000 polytechnics where as there were seven lakh ITIs in China. He added that there was a paradigm change in Haryana and the ITIs and polytechnics were opened with private sector participation.

Robert Lee Applebaum, director, Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs, South Africa, said his country had legislated an 'empowerment point' system for industry pitching for government projects. Companies were given points for taking measures for inclusively, based on which they were entitled to do business with the government. This system, he said, has worked well in South Africa.

Abdulla Dardari, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Syria, agreed that growth was a pre requisite for inclusive development. However, it was equally important to ensure equality of opportunities and access to social infrastructure.

Yamunanagar, January 18
The shooting of an 18-month-old female panther in the Kalesar jungles here yesterday has brought another aspect of hunting to light. People living near the jungles have been hunting wild pigs and, at times, sambar.

Sources in the wildlife department said initial investigations suggested that the panther was killed by mistake as the hunters took it for a wild pig. The hunters did not take away the dead cub whose skin sells at a high price in the market. It seems the hunters were locals and poachers who killed animals for the skin, paws and horns. “Pigs and panthers are almost of the same height and the hunters most likely thought it to be a pig and fired at it. They did not lift it as they knew that if caught, they would be punished as the panther falls under Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Meanwhile, the police has registered a case under the Wildlife Protection Act , 1972, and the Arms Act against the unidentified persons and started a search for them. They were tying to identify local people who owned weapons. There were a large number of countrymade firearms in the area, said sources in the wildlife department, adding that they were using the same to kill wild animals.

The jungles are spread over 26,500 acres with common boundaries with Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pardesh. The department had only eight forest guards, a jeep and five motorcycles to patrol the jungles. The department had only four firearms while the hunters and poachers owned sophisticated weapons and vehicles, said the sources. There was also a shortage of watchtowers in the jungles and walkie-talkies provided to the employees were not functional. A senior official said it was very difficult to keep watch on the activities of the poachers and smugglers as there was a shortage of employees and equipment.

Fatehabad, January 18
Project officer Asha Setia, Integrated Child Development Scheme, today submitted a demand of Rs 1.16 crore to the additional deputy commissioner for the months of January to March for implementation of the supplementary nutrition scheme for children, adolescent girls and mother in the district.

Setia has also submitted detailed reports of the funds utilised in the quarter October to December last year to the ADC.

The earlier reports submitted by the Setia for the months of October and November were found falsified as these did not comply with the actual cash figures with the department.

The department had later withdrawn those reports and submitted its fresh reports today.

The demand made by the department reflect sharp decline in the money being spent on this scheme earlier, and has vindicated the stand of ADC C. G. Rajnikanthan that all was not well in the ICDS Department, where no accounts were being prepared for spending of huge amounts running in to Rs 2 lakh per working day.

The department had demanded and availed Rs 1.53 crore for the months of October to December. Under the ICDS Scheme supplementary nutrition is provided to children, adolescent girls, pregnant mother and lactating mothers.

The department is supposed to provide nutrition worth Rs 3 per day to children and Rs 5 per day to adolescent girls, pregnant mother and lactating mothers.

As per the guidelines of the government, Setia,
ICDS, placed a demand for funds on quarterly basis to the ADC, who in turn released the payment. The funds were then distributed among 704 anganwadis working in the district and were spent on providing supplementary nutrition through self-help-groups of women. While the department had been incurring such huge expenditure on the scheme, it did not have any record of the same.

Bhiwani, January 18
Expressing resentment over the raids conducted at Charkhi Dadri town by administrative officers following complaints of the sale of spurious ghee, traders have sought the transfer of the subdivisional magistrate and withdrawal of the cases registered against the traders concerned.

A team led by the SDM, Charkhi Dadri, had conducted raids and taken samples of ghee being sold by traders two days ago.

In protest, the traders closed their establishments.

The Vyapar Mandal, Charkhi Dadri, at its meeting held on that day decided to observe a strike for the next two days in protest against the raids. It also demanded the immediate transfer of the SDM and the withdrawal of the cases.

The traders assembled at Lajpat Rai Chowk today and shouted anti-government slogans. A meeting was also held between the traders and official representatives which was attended by chief parliamentary secretary Dharmbir Singh, MLA Dadri Major Nripender, CONFED chairman Bajrang Dass Garg, the deputy commissioner and the SDM. Mandal president Ravinder Gupta, grain market president Ram Kumar Ritolia, Arjun Lal Bajaj and Mahabir Sharma were present as traders’ representatives.

The traders expressed resentment over the manner in which the raids were conducted and the treatment meted out to them.

Later talking to newsmen at Charkhi Dadri, the deputy commissioner categorically said that anyone involved in the sale of spurious edible
items, including ghee and milk, would be dealt with sternly. He said the raids had been conducted following complaints of the sale of spurious ghee on a large scale in the town bought from
Delhi. He said some anti-social elements misbehaved with the raiding team which had gone to take samples of ghee.

Fatehabad, January 18
The district authorities have begun a survey to find the authenticity of around 500 self-help groups (SHGs) registered in the district under the Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna
(SJGSY) run by the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA).

The move has been initiated to stop government funding and loans to defunct or bogus SHGs.

According to C. G.
Rajnikanthan, ADC-cum-chief executing officer of the DRDA, self-help groups are made of at least 10 members, eight of which have to be from the below poverty line (BPL) category.

These groups can then apply for government funding from the DRDA under the SJGSY for starting any venture of employment.

The DRDA provides them a revolving fund of Rs 25,000, which included a non-refundable subsidy of Rs 10,000 after their first grading by the authorities.

The authorities also helped the SHGs getting bank loans up to Rs 3 lakh after their second grading and up to 50 per cent of the loan is paid by the DRDA as subsidy to the groups, according to
Rajnikanthan.

The authorities had received complaints that many of the SHGs had been functioning with proxy members or had become defunct. The authorities plan to complete the survey within a month and will provide revolving funds to as many as 100 SHGs this year, Rajnikanthan informed.

Chandigarh, January 18
In a petition filed in public interest, a high court advocate-cum-human rights activist Navkiran Singh has sought directions to convert into life imprisonment the death sentence awarded to 11 accused currently lodged in Haryana jails.

Directions have also been sought against keeping them in a separate solitary confinement.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia today issued a notice of motion for March 10 to the Haryana Home Secretary and the superintendents of central jails at Ambala, Hisar and Gurgaon.

Rewari, January 18
Two teenaged girls, Prem Lata (17) and her sister Jyoti (15), who were allegedly kidnapped on January 13 from Suthani village, 8 km from here, have been recovered from their alleged abductors, Ishaq and
Shahbul, both residents of Dinajpur district of West Bengal.

The girls are now staying at Kaliagunj police station of Dinajpur district, according a Rewari police spokesman.

Meanwhile, a police party has been dispatched to Kaliagunj to bring the girls and their alleged abductors here.

Sources said Ishaq and Shahabul were employed in a rice factory near Suthani village. The victims were daughters of Satish Kumar of Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pradesh who worked as an electrician in a cement factory here. The alleged abductors lived in rented accommodation in Suthani village.

Satish Kumar had reportedly left his daughters at Suthani when he and his wife had gone to Bulandshahar on January 10. However, on their return on January 14, they were stunned to learn that their daughters had been abducted.

Subsequently, he made a complaint following which the police registered a case of abduction against the
accused.Simultaneously, information in this regard was also conveyed to the Dinajpur police, which recovered the girls.

Chandigarh, January 18
In an application filed before the high court, the Haryana Public Service Commission on Friday sought modification of the high court order, directing the inspection of HCS selection record.

The commission has also sought directions for staying the operation of the order. The application is likely to be taken up shortly.

A Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice Vijender Jain, on January 14 issued directions for record inspection on a petition by MLA Karan Singh Dalal.

Alleging favouritism, petitioner’s counsel Mohan Jain had brought on record that in the case of 13 candidates, less marks were given in the interview. In some cases, their marks in the written test were also reduced at the instance of chairman and members of the commission. Following this, the court had allowed the inspection of records by the petitioner’s counsel within a week.

Chandigarh, January 18
Cancer patients in Haryana want that free travel facility should be provided to them in the state roadways on the pattern of the Punjab Roadways.

President of “Sahayata”, a charitable organisation working for the welfare of cancer patients, Renu Saigal, told The Tribune here today the Punjab government was providing free travel coupons worth Rs 900 to each cancer patient, which remain valid for six months. After six months, on the recommendation of a doctor, the government issued more coupons to the cancer patients so that they could travel to specialised institutions for treatment.

She said even the railways also give 75 per cent discount to the patients and 50 per cent discount to their attendants whenever they have to travel for treatment. Even the airlines offered discounts to the cancer patients.

Yamunanagar, January 18
The police has booked Vinod Garg, a timber merchant, in whose compound three children had accidentally consumed phenyl, for causing death due to negligence. Two children of Deha Basti in Jagadhri had died while condition of the third child, Abhishek, was serious.

Garg has been booked under Section 304 - A of the IPC. Police sources said the bottle containing the liquid was not stored at a proper place.

The children were playing in the room where the bottle was lying and they had consumed it presuming it to be a soft drink. However, no arrest has been made so far.

Gurgaon, January 18
The district and session court has rejected bail petition of Vishal and Rakesh (not their real names) today.

Both accused were involved in the shootout at Euro International school at Gurgaon on December 11, 2007, in which Abishekh Taygi, a fellow student, was
killed. The court also extended the remand of the boys by 14 days. — TNS

Rewari, January 18
Following precautionary directions issued by Dr. K.S. Dangi, director-general, State Animal Husbandry Department, in wake of an outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal, as a many as 11 rapid response teams, comprising of veterinary surgeons and veterinary livestock development assistants have been constituted to collect samples of serum from the 84-odd poultry farms of the district.

According to Dr. O. P. Yadav, deputy director, Animal Husbandry Department, no symptoms of the disease had yet been found here.